Despite 2026 appearing to get off to a rocky start, tourism stakeholders in the Alpes-Maritimes region achieved a high-flying summer season in 2026. Thanks to an increasingly diverse offering throughout the year, the Alpes-Maritimes are establishing themselves as one of the few territories gaining in attractiveness in Europe. With 12.5 million tourists counted during the summer period, as in 2025, ingenuity will need to be redoubled in 2027 to continue in this direction.
After an exceptional year in 2025 for tourism on the Côte d’Azur, 2026 presented itself as a genuine challenge for local stakeholders. Hotels, restaurants, culture, leisure—all these sectors were scrutinized to draw up a first assessment of the summer season 2026, yesterday at the Palais de la Méditerranée in Nice, and thus look ahead to 2027.
Despite a year marked by international and local geopolitical crises, which impacted tourism in turn, the overall assessment is satisfactory: “At the end of June we were worried, with the fires in France, the tense international political context, we weren’t seeing the occupancy rates of our establishments rise, especially for August. But, in the end, we managed to pull off a season similar to 2025, which is exceptional,” declared Christine Welter, president of UMIH Cannes.
For her, the salvation of the Côte d’Azur comes from an attractiveness that is not limited to the July-August period: “today we have a smoothing of seasonality. The traditional peak of August has shifted to July, but the months of June and September have become very good, this year they are even at the level of August.”
Heat waves, increasingly frequent in the middle of summer, can also explain this shift in seasonality, particularly in the restaurant sector, a sector that suffered in summer 2026: “with long periods of heat waves, our outdoor terraces were empty during the day this summer,” exclaimed Eric Abihssira, president of UMIH Nice Azur and Haut Pays.
According to him, the restaurant sector also suffered from the decline in French households’ purchasing power: “obviously when you have less money, you have to make choices. People prefer to skip the bottle of rosé or the good dish rather than leisure activities.”
Who are the tourists visiting the Côte d’Azur?
To account for the origin of tourists, three main markets are distinguished: the domestic market, nearby European markets, and long-haul markets.
The strength of the Alpes-Maritimes is its setting, equally pleasant in summer and winter. This strength allows it to attract both tourists from the other side of the globe for long stays and closer vacationers who only come for a weekend.
It is on this unique feature in France that Côte d’Azur France Tourisme relies to attract visitors year-round. For Claire Béhar, general director, the finding is as follows: “in summer, we mainly welcome foreign clientele, predominantly from North America. However, the French market remains our foundation and is essential throughout the year.”
Among the striking figures for 2026, it can be noted that Eastern Europe contributed significantly to the good summer period. With the opening of new air routes in Europe, Nice airport is an engine of tourism. “We are the only airport in France that maintains growing attractiveness. We were able to see a real breakthrough from Eastern Europe and Poland, as well as a return to favor of the English after a few difficult years in their country,” said Franck Goldnadel, director of Nice Côte d’Azur airport.
Objectives for 2027
In 2027, Côte d’Azur France Tourisme wants to rely more on AI to make its territory shine, as explained by its president, Charles-Ange Ginésy: “we must ensure that we have an innovative department by continuing to develop innovative digital tools, but also by ensuring that the Côte d’Azur is favored by artificial intelligences such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, which today play a major role in tourists’ destination choices.”
The objective of Côte d’Azur France Tourisme is also to continue to support local establishments, as described by Nathalie Crouzet, head of the Tourism Engineering Division: “this year we were able to build a real dynamic of support, with new establishments labeled Tourism and Disability or Bike-Friendly. The goal is to continue in this direction in 2027.”
Finally, numerous seminars for welcoming tourism professionals are planned throughout 2027, notably with Brazil, Germany, England and Belgium to continue making the Côte d’Azur shine throughout the world.
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